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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27175705">Sleepless Night</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arreloi/pseuds/Arreloi'>Arreloi</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher Series - Andrzej Sapkowski</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Can be platonic only, Can be ship, Help, However you like, I'm not good at tags, M/M, Night, Sleep, Takes place during books</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 07:36:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,232</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27175705</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arreloi/pseuds/Arreloi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A ficlet written for Protective Prompts, from tumblr<br/>(6. for one muse to fall asleep next to the other muse who is keeping watch)<br/>Just hansa travelling together and Geralt having insomnia</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Emiel Regis Rohellec Terzieff-Godefroy/Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>74</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Sleepless Night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lohrendrell/gifts">Lohrendrell</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Thanks for The_Oversharing_Skeptic for being an amazing beta again. I learn so much from you &lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Geralt couldn’t sleep. Another sleepless night in a row. Whenever he laid down and closed his eyes, his mind started to wander. He thought about Ciri, about how desperately he wanted to help her and how much she needed his help. He was scared that he would reach her too late or would just never find her. His efforts seemed hopeless… </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he didn’t think about Ciri, he thought about Yennefer. Did she really betray him, betrayCiri? He couldn’t believe that. Or maybe he didn’t want to believe it. He wondered, yet he couldn’t find any answers.. After about half an hour of fruitless efforts to fall asleep, of flipping from side to side, he sat up, swearing under his breath. He rubbed his face. The feeling of fatigue was overwhelming yet Geralt felt restless at the same time. The witcher looked around. Dandelion, sleeping nearest to him, was smiling in his dream. Lucky… Geralt thought, feeling a pang of jealousy. The witcher wasn’t the only one awake though. Cahir was still keeping watch in some distance from their camp. Maybe that was another reason Geralt couldn’t fall asleep? He still didn’t fully trust the Nilfgaardian. He sighed heavily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Couldn’t sleep?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He heard a quiet voice he didn’t expect. The question was rather rhetorical. He could bet Regis was sleeping those few seconds ago. But, do higher vampires really sleep the way humans do? He didn’t know but he had no intention of exposing his ignorance. He looked at the vampire. Funny, he thought, I look more like  a stereotypical “bloodsucker” than Regis. Geralt knew that the nights without sleep probably left him looking paler and gauner than usual. The actual vampire didn’t really look amused though, rather… Was that concern in Regis’ eyes? Why would he care?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm” Geralt muttered in the affirmative, getting up from the ground already. Dandelion mumbled something in his sleep, to Geralt’s annoyance, looking quite content. the bard could fall asleep practically everywhere and in any position. And he slept quite well most of the time. What a useful skill, he thought with disdain. Geralt headed towards a small campfire and Cahir seating near it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go. Get some rest. I’ve got you covered” Geralt said, not looking at Cahir. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sat down, concentrating on the background noises of the night. A quiet rustle of bushes was to be heard, as well as howling of an owl, not that far away, nothing extraordinary.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, Geralt” Cahir protested,“It’s my turn and you certainly need some sleep. I can’t let you”. As usual, almost no Nilfgaardian accent in his voice. The answer got Geralt angry. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go. Before I make you go for good” he growled. If looks could kill, Cahir would give up the ghost in the very instance. Instead he snorted and rolled his eyes. It was obvious that Cahir was tired nonetheless and could use some sleep. Yet, he didn’t want to leave the clearly overtired Witcher, for his own good as well as for the good of the whole hansa. Even though witchers’ were certainly more resistant, they needed some time to regenerate and rest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will leave you here. Come back when you come to your senses” the Nilfgaardian said eventually, with audible resignation in his voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Geralt watched Cahir heading back to camp.. The Nilfgaardian didn’t go to sleep though. He just sat down with a clear intention to wait. That only added to the witcher’s annoyance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a few minutes Geralt was sitting alone, facing the forest, trying to stay alert, listening to even the softest sounds. He never heard the steps though. A hand landed on his arm, taking him completely by surprise. He jerked his head up, suddenly understanding why he didn’t register anything. The one who approached him was Regis. He should have noticed it earlier, the quiet moves of the man… He should have noticed before he found out about Emiel’s true nature. But somehow he didn’t. He should have  noticed the lack of shadow, or the slightly slower heartbeat. None of these things ever got his attention. He was becoming  careless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Geralt” Regis started quietly. “Your exhaustion will do no good for any of us. Nor for Ciri, in fact. A tired mind is not capable of a high productivity, it may have a negative effect on the pace of our expedition. And as far as I understand, you consider the time to be of the essence”The Vampire sat down next to him. Geralt looked at him grimly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know!” he  snapped. “I know” he repeated, a little bit calmer this time. “but it’s not like I have any influence on that. I just… can’t sleep” he admitted, looking at the sizzling fire. A wolf howled far away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But what would you know?” Geralt frowned. “Do you even need to sleep?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The vampire chuckled quietly. “Very much so. It’s not like we don’t sleep at all. Different species need different amounts of sleep for optimal functioning. And as it happens, we need significantly less than humans. But yes, even we, in fact, need to sleep from time to time.” Regis stopped for a moment, shifting his gaze to the witcher. “I spent enough time with people to come to the conclusion that sleep is in fact one of the most important physiological human needs”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though Geralt was looking in a different direction, he could feel the Regis' gaze on his skin. It was intense, although hard to define why. “Get to the point” he certainly wasn’t in the mood for scientific lectures.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What I want to say is, I might have a solution for you.” the vampire explained softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But” he continued, “the question is: Do you trust me, witcher?” Regis grinned, showing the tips of his fangs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you wanna do?” Geralt asked , suspiciously. There was something in this smile… Something that made him nervous in a way he’d never expect.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You haven’t answered my question, Geralt” Regis wasn’t willing to give a straight answer. Geralt rolled his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would be too easy to just explain, wouldn’t it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The vampire chuckled once more. “Quite so” He looked vaguely amused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The witcher fell silent for a few long seconds. Did he trust Regis? Well, the vampire never gave him any reason not to. Not counting the fact that he’d concealed his identity. But Geralt couldn’t blame him for it, it was quite an understandable and reasonable thing to do. He hesitated for a moment, remembering all the things that happened since they’ve met Regis. How he helped that unfortunate girl condemned to the stake. How he rescued him and Dandelion and attended bard’s wounds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do.” he said slowly,  “I do trust you”.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Very well” the vampire smiled. “Lay down, please” He patted one of his knees.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The witcher raised his eyebrows, surprised but not opposed, partially because he was too tired and too curious about Regis’ intentions. He laid down, head on Emiel’s lap. The smell of herbs, always surrounding the vampire, got even more intense. It was pleasant though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sleep well, Geralt” he looked down, straight into the witcher’s eyes and Geralt understood what he was planning. The shock, however, quickly faded away. He focused on the deep, dark, obsidian eyes. That darkness took over his vision, spreading until the eyes were all he saw, before he finally drifted off to sleep. </span>
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